BENNINGTON — A local man was charged with a felony Monday after police said he had given a police officer one account of a potential crime and told a different story during a deposition.

Jason S. Pendlebury, 29, of North Bennington, pleaded innocent in Bennington criminal court Monday to a single felony count of false swearing.

In an affidavit, Detective Anthony Silvestro of the Bennington Police Department said he was investigating an accusation of lewd and lascivious conduct in October when he first spoke to Pendlebury. Silvestro said Pendlebury told him the accused man had touched a woman improperly in his presence.

However, during a deposition in March, Pendlebury changed his story. He said the woman had touched the man and that much of what was going on was “horseplay.”

Silvestro said when he spoke to Pendlebury on May 20 about why Pendlebury had changed his story, Pendlebury told him that he had gotten more information about the incident after he talked to Silvestro in October. He also admitted he had been in contact with the accused man but denied that had anything to do with the change in his story.